The Society of Environmental Journalists has honored The Washington Post with a first-place award for explanatory reporting for its “2°C: Beyond the Limit” series.
The series, which received the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting “pioneered the use of temperature data, demonstrating that extreme climate change is already a life-altering reality across 10 percent of the Earth’s surface.”
The award committee said in a statement:
“This is why journalism was invented. The Washington Post, confronted with the most important threat to humanity, sent excellent reporters around the world to document it and explain it for readers and posterity in a vivid and unforgettable way. The reporting is stellar, the data analysis is a public service, the visual presentation is striking, the examples are perfect, and the writing is solid. It’s a dog-bites-man story, but there’s never been a dog with a nastier bite than climate change, and while there were many strong entries bearing witness to its early effects, this one was definitive and noble and inspiring.”
The award recognized the work of journalists from National, Graphics and Photo. These journalists are:
- Brady Dennis
- Juliet Eilperin
- Darryl Fears
- Chris Mooney
- Steven Mufson
- John Muyskens
- Aaron Steckelberg
- Harry Stevens
- Monica Ulmanu
- Salwan Georges
- Bonnie Jo Mount
- Carolyn Van Houten
The Post Magazine’s “The Green Miles” by Gabriel Popkin was also recognized as a third honorale mention in the Society of Environmental Journalists’ competition in the outstanding feature story category.
